Adoptive Parents and Belgium Solar Panal Society

Today Roberto and I went to the airport to pick up the adoptive parent. Like usual, trips from Kenscoff to Lamardelle are always packed full of adventures and plan Bs and plan Cs. So I got up at 4:30am and waited for Roberto to come. He was suppose to be there at 5:30am, but ended up actually getting there at 6:30am. The morning cold crisp air hit my face like a ice sheet, I was instantly wide awake than ever. The car was packed full of aunties, a child, Sarah, Roberto, me, and tons of bags. We dropped everyone off at their appropriate locations and then headed to Delmas 41. I waited on the roof for about 3 hours before Roberto came back to take us to the airport. The adoptive parent's plane gets in at 11am, but they didn't end up getting out until close to 1pm. It was a long wait in the sun, I was starting to feel a little bit of a heat stroke coming on, since we didn't have that much water. Everything turned out alright and we got everyone, all four family members and their luggage. We all headed over to Lamardelle. This was the family's second time in Haiti visiting their two adoptive children, but it will be their first time in Lamardelle, since the last time they were in Kenscoff. When we finally got to the Lamardelle at around 3pm, I showed the parents around the place and handed their adoptive children over to them. The children were ecstatic to see them and still remembered they are Papa and Mama. It was a very happy occasion. 

I stayed with the parents and was able to play with the children and answer any questions the parents had. At around 5:30pm, we headed over to Manmies to have dinner there. It turns out that the adoptive parents weren't the only visitors that were here, there are actually six other visitors that are here to install the solar panals for the school, manmie's house, and the community clinic. How awesome is that? It is finally coming together. Those solar panals have been sitting there for months without anyone doing anything to them. It turns out it is a society that is from Belgium that donated the Solar Panals and now individuals from the society, which consists of 4 Belgiums, 1 French, and 1 Brazilian, are here to install them. I got to meet everyone at the dinner and help translate for everyone with French, Creole, and English. It was awesome food and it was definitely good to be back in the heat. I made sure the parents were all settled in their rooms and went back to the creche after dinner at around 7:30pm. 

I took a much needed shower and made sure to get all the adolescents to bed by 9pm. 

I kissed all the children good night and got back to my room. It's time to crash....it has been a long day! 

Shaken Up In The Bitter Cold!

So it was decided last minute that I was going to head up to Kenscoff this past Friday, because adoptive parents were going to stay in Lamardelle on Tuesday, so I have to be back to Lamardelle to host them during their stay. So I quickly packed my bags on Friday and headed to town with the staff at 3:30pm. As usual, it was a long haul to get to Kenscoff. We dropped off all the staff members and I was dropped off at Delmas 41 office to wait for Roberto. Roberto, Ms. Deleau, and I headed up toward Kenscoff around 6pm and stopped by the market to get some food for the weekend. We finally got to the Duncan's house at around 8pm and had to wait around some more to get more food for the children. By the time I got to the guest house, it was already 9pm. I made a quick sandwich, toast bread, Kraft cheese, and yellow mustard. It was soooooo good.

It was sooooo cold up in Kenscoff while I was there over the weekend. Like ridiculously cold. Wayyyy colder than usual. I was freezing to death. There was no electricity, no water, and no sign of any sunshine anytime soon. It was, needless to say, pretty miserable! I searched high and low to find as many blankets as I possibly could. Even the blankets themselves were freezing. The blankets are thin, but I was able to find 5 of them to put on top of me while I slept. I had on two layers of 100% full-on fleece pajamas, with the 5 layers of covers on me, and I was still freezing. Oh man, those were long nights at Kenscoff this time around.

I stayed close by the charcoal cooker to keep warm. It was really fun cooking the Mais (corn meal) for everyone. The aunties taught me the proper way to stir and pretty much beat it up. It sure kept me warm and energized.  

All the children and I stayed under blankets during free time. It was so close and our body heats definitely came in handy. Children were using me as a launching pad. It was quite fun. We had a blast. 

On Sunday, there was another small scaled earthquake in Haiti. We've had three so far in the past few weeks, which has not help calm the population down. Every time something shook, people screamed and ran for open ground. It is almost like a sick joke now when it happens. I pray everyday for the people's hearts to be calm and for them to find inner peace. The earth is calling out to us to repent our actions, if we don't realize that now, things will just be worse later on. Everyone was freaked out at the orphanage, and once again, I tried to calm people down.

Tomorrow I am going to the airport to pick up the adoptive family that will be visiting and staying in Lamardelle. I can't wait to see them again and get out of this coldness! Most of all, I'll finally be able to take a shower and wash my hair!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today is a special day, because it is my dad's 56th birthday! Happy birthday from Haiti daddy! Hope you had a wonderful day and thanks to my grandmother for giving birth to him on this day! I have a pretty awesome father, I am not going to lie. He is pretty funny normally already, but then when he goes out with his work buddies, he comes home and starts singing and speaking Japanese. It's quite amusing to watch and listen to. So dad, have an awesome day! Thank you for your on-going support, while I am in Haiti. You rock! I'm grateful and lucky to have you to call my dad!

Tzu Chi also came today to the orphanage to drop off two months worth of food supplies for the children. It was awesome, 20 bags of rice, 4 bags of flour, 4 bags of beans, 4 bags of sugar, and 12 gallons of cooking oil. Thank you so much to Tzu Chi Foundation for the on-going support for feeding the children at the orphanages here in Lamardelle and Kenscoff.

Today was a celebratory day!

The Love Twins

Things have just been busy busy busy, as usual. Today, a biological mother came to see her children, who have been at the creche a little over two years now. They were tiny little babies when they were first brought in after the January 12, 2010 earthquake. They were only a couple days old, and the mother stated that she was in no state, both financially and emotionally to care for the children. So the creche took them in. When we took them in, it was not expected to be caring for them for over two years, but the mother never called or contacted us, so we couldn't get her consent to put the two children up for adoption. We finally got a hold of her and she wants her children back. She was suppose to come pick them up the first time we got in contact with her, back in November 2011, but she never showed up. This happens a lot in Haiti. The biological parents say they will come, but they never come. They know we will take care of the children for free, since we have no choice, and we cannot legally put their children up for adoption without their written consent. So it is just a vicious cycle really. And sadly many parents do take advantage of that. I mean I understand their point of view, especially for babies, they need so much care and food those first few years. And it is always better when they are older and can walk and talk and take care of themselves for the everyday Haitian environment. And the creche has good health care, food, shelter, and clothing. It's very appealing to just drop off your children and know that they will be taken care of.

So the mother finally came back to get the twins today. They are fraternal twins, one girl and one boy. They are as cute as can be and I have gotten quite close to the both of them with my time here at the creche. When I first came, they weren't able to walk on their own yet and was still crawling around the creche. Now they can walk on their own, speak a couple of phrases in Creole, and understands simple commands. It has been magical seeing them grow. I am going to miss playing with them and laughing at their silliness. I am going to miss kissing them good night and always telling them not to hit others around them. I am going to miss their hugs and miss comforting them when they are scared or sad. I am going to miss you two little buggers.

Take care and have a good life my little ones! 

Giggles said "Oooooo!"

Today a very special little girl got to go on the big airplane and fly to the United States (Utah to be exact) to be with her adoptive family. It has been a long haul for the family and I am so happy that it has finally came true for them. They have been nothing but patient throughout the whole adoption process and has just been a wonderful family. I am very grateful for people like them! A great big shout out to the Sorenson family! You guys are awesome!

So I only got to spend about a day up in Kenscoff to say hi to the dad and say goodbye to the little angel, Giggles*. I promised the parents that I would take care of her as best as I could and give her all the love in the world. I have gotten very close to Giggles* and it is sad to see her go, but I am overjoyed with the fact that she is going to such a wonderful adoptive family. She is going to have so much fun! I've watched her grow from a quiet little baby to the non-stop running around pre-toddler that she is now. She has given me so much joy and warmth for the last 7 months here in Haiti. I am forever grateful to have known her and had the chance to be there for her when she needed someone's love and care. I am one lucky gal!




















Have a safe flight Giggles*. I will miss you so much. You will always have a very special place in my heart. I am going to miss your laugh. Your funny way of scrunching your bottom up when you fall asleep. I am going to miss your ever so soft hugs. You have forever changed my heart and I love you so very much!

Prayers For Dino

Things have been hectic with all this report writing. I was gone most of February, but I still need to do all the February reports. So it has been quite overwhelming to say the least. Of course, this is on top of everything else that I have going on at the creche. It is definitely one day at a time and I just need to remember to breathe every now and then. The adolescents have been getting ready for mid quarter testing, so have been helping them get prepared for that at night time. Lots and lots of work here! It makes everyday that much interesting!

So today was one of those emotional days for me. A little boy, three and a half years old, named Dino* went back home to his biological mother. He was dropped off by his biological mother back in October 2011 and the mother wanted to put him up for adoption. Last month, we finally got all the necessary paperwork ready and the mother was going to the courts to sign her relinquishment of rights documents. Before any parent sign over their rights, we always do another full explanation of what exactly giving up your rights and your child up for adoption means again. We have this talk with the parents initially when they bring their child(ren) in, but we always double check and repeat ourselves. So after almost 6 months of time had passed, the biological mother changed her mind about putting Dino* up for adoption. The problem is that we know she has no means to really provide for Dino* and worst of all, Dino* has Sickle Cell Anemia, which is a medical condition that needs a special diet and regular doctors visits to monitor his progress. These are all things that are nearly impossible for a Haitian single mother to provide. The biological mother stated that she did not fully understand what putting Dino* up for adoption meant and she does not want to lose him, but we are thinking that there must be something that changed over the 6 months, because her financial status has not changed and she fully understood what adoption meant 6 months ago. For many Haitians, religion has a huge factor in changing people's minds about taking their children back. Some parents really can't deal with giving their child up for adoption, others feel guilty, and then there's the ones that feel people are sending bad spirits toward them for their actions.

Needless to say, I had to say goodbye to one of the cutest boys I have ever met. He has a smile of an angel. The part that gets me the most has got to be the fact that we know the child will not get the appropriate medical attention and care and nutrition that he needs, but there's nothing we can do. It is the right of the biological mother to take him back. I understand adoption is the last resort, but in his case, adoption definitely would make his life a lot easier, medically and psychologically speaking. Dino* also suffers from infantile depression and attachment disorder. He has been abandoned and tossed around so many times, that he has learned not to trust others. He does not attach to any care giver, not even to his own biological mother. Him and I have been working together on appropriate attachment styles and ways for him to grieve the loss of his mother over the past 6 months. He was doing so well and I finally got him to smile and giggle when we played. When he first came, he never smiled, didn't speak a word to anyone, and would only sit or stand in the corner by himself. After 6 months of hard work and giving him all the love that I have, he is able to give me hugs and kisses. He is able to play with other children and share toys. He is also able to communicate his needs effectively and use the appropriate emotions when he is mad or sad or happy. He has made such huge progress. I have been so proud of him. Today, he regressed back to the exact same state of indifference and withdrawn look from 6 months ago. He was feeling abandoned again, feeling that loss and pain all over again. I felt so bad for Dino* and I kissed him goodbye. I told him that I loved him and that he was going to be happy with his mother. He looked at his mother and then looked at me. He waved goodbye and without a smile, walked away with his mother, hand in hand. It broke my heart, but there was nothing more that I can do. I just hope and pray with all of my heart that his mother will be able to care for him in the right way and that he will not be abandoned again, both physically and emotionally. I can only pray for his well-being and safety and peace of mind. He will forever be in my heart!

Be strong little one! I am with you spiritually!

Meetings With The Directors

So I finally got to meet Heather from Adoption Link this weekend. She and an IT specialist came on Friday and we all met. It was nice to sit down and talk to Heather about all the issues and miscommunication that has been going on for the past 7 months due to a lack of internet. And actually Nathan, the IT specialist, is especially here to try and fix the internet problem. As you all know that for the past 7 months, the internet has really been non-existent to say the least. And when we do have some connection, there is no electricity. It's Haiti, so it's normal, but it definitely makes it that much harder when working with other countries that have constant internet access and wondering why we are "not-working" when you just look from the outside. Anyways, so Nathan, Will, and Sandy were hard at work this weekend to try and fix the internet situation.

Saturday, Heather, Brunette, and I headed up to Kenscoff to have an Adoption team meeting with the executive director Gina Duncan and general director Lucien Duncan (Yes, they are husband and wife). We all sat down and started to discuss all the changes in the Haitian law and the new government and how that was going to affect the adoption process. The new laws will not go into effect for at least another couple of months, but we want to be ready with a plan of action before it is in full swing. So needless to say, lots of meetings and discussion this weekend. Gina has been way overworked since she's been back in Haiti. She is still really sick, so I am hoping that she can quickly wrap up here and head back to Canada to get treatment and really rest her body and mind. I will continue to pray for her full recovery.

One of the kids' adoptive father came to Haiti on Monday to take her back to the U.S. with him. It has been a long wait for this family and I am happy that this is finally coming true. I will miss her very much, but I know she is going to be so happy in her wonderful adoptive family. She even looks just like the dad, it is quite amazing. It was definitely meant to be. The mother couldn't make it on this trip, so she is anxiously waiting for them to get back to the states' side. So the transition process takes a week in Kenscoff. This is where the child will get some time to say goodbye to the aunties and children at the creche and Haiti in general. It gives some time to detach and transition. I hope that this week will be productive for the father and daughter. It is not going to be easy, but it will be worthwhile in the end. Most children do not do well being alone with just a male figure, since that is something completely foreign to them. Most children will be very scared and cry and want to get away, while few kids are so fascinated by the foreign idea that they want to get to know more about this mysterious creature. This girl has been reacting quite frightened so far, but I hope things will calm down more as the week progresses. I will keep on praying for the two of them.

So I spent the weekend in Kenscoff and got back today. I will be heading back up to Kenscoff on Wednesday for another meeting with Gina and Lucien, since Gina is too sick to come down to Lamardelle, it is better that the staff goes to her directly.

The trip was long today, as usual. It's time to write more reports!

BTW! The internet situation has been resolved for the moment. Let's just hope the electricity keeps holding on! Fingers crossed!

Shaken Up

So last night at around 10pm Haiti was hit by a 4.6 magnitude earthquake. It hit south of Port-au-Prince and had a depth of 3 miles. Because it was so shallow, so it felt a lot bigger than 4.6 magnitude. Talk about absolute panic for the Haitian people, and with good reason! I was in my room on my bed doing reports when the earthquake hit. Everything shook, things moved out of place, and I almost fell off my bed. It only lasted a couple of seconds, but as usual, it always feels longer when you are in the moment. When the earthquake stopped, it was wide spread chaos and panic. Everyone was screaming and yelling "God! Save us! Oh my God!" in Creole. People ran outside and started crying. Some of the children were shaken up. I held them in my arms and told them to calm down. One child was in a fetal position, rocking back and forth, he was terrified! After about an hour or so, most of the children fell back to sleep. I tried to calm down all the adults, but it was pretty much useless. They were all gathered outside, screaming and frantically calling everyone they knew. I mean EVERYONE they knew. No joke. Most of the staff slept lightly, with their doors opened, ready to run out if another earthquake hit. Some never went back to sleep, it was too scary to even close their eyes. So this wide spread panic was all over Haiti last night. All of the people living in the Lamardelle zone were outside of their houses. Most just slept outside last night in fear of what happened on January 12, 2010 repeating itself again. About an hour or two after the earthquake hit, the zone started to conduct Voodou ceremonies, accompanied both by loud drumming music and animal sacrifices. The burning smell of animal corps were just really really gross. I had to put my mask on to breathe a little bit better. The music was so loud, wayyyy louder than usual, which is understandable, because the Haitian people were desperately praying to the Deities to protect them from danger. So needless to say, no sleep last night!

All of today people were talking about the earthquake last night and how panic they were. They also started to talk about where they were on January 12, 2010 and how they felt then. It was a day of reminiscent and bad memories for everyone. After hearing all of these stories and seeing everyone's panic expressions on their faces, it really made me think just how lucky I am to have grown up in Taiwan. Taiwan is an island, just like Haiti, and it is an earthquake stricken area. There are earthquakes all the time, it is a norm in Taiwan. Ever since I was little, I can remember doing earthquake drills in school, where we get under our desks and evacuating when it is safe. We also had the proper earthquake knowledge that was related to us as we grew up about where in a building is the strongest, which would be where we should stand during an earthquake. Also the pattern of the shakes to determine when it is unsafe to stay inside and had to run out. It is because of these knowledge that I can always stay calm during earthquakes and analyze educationally what to do in each situation. Also, because I have gone through so many earthquakes, it is not something foreign to me. Yes it is still scary when it gets really big, but I have the education to back up my actions or inaction. When I look at the Haitian people, I felt the need to calm them down, but it is almost impossible, because they have not gone through what I have and vise versa. The children were fine to calm down after a while, but the adults were another story. I felt bad and just wanted to calm their hearts. I feel really fortunate and grateful that I have these life experiences with me. That my mind is calm due to education and wisdom and that my heart is calm due to Master Cheng Yen's teachings. Just like Master Cheng Yen said, "Education is the key. Education can change a society and can change their future!" It really is true.

It is these times that we need to have Great Repentance. Mother Earth is mad because we are not taking good care of her. We have been and continue to abuse our resources. We only have one earth to live on, so we all need to do our part. A small earthquake like this should quickly awaken our actions in life. We need to help those in need and do our best to protect the environment by recycling and taking on a vegetarian life style. One person can't change the world, but if we all came together, it is possible. We must take action. I pray for all the people in the world to be awaken to their actions! I especially pray for the Haitian people to better themselves, to better their surroundings, to let their wisdom grow. Let's all work together to make you and I and this world a better place!

Let us all pray together for all hearts to be purified, for a harmonious society, and no more disasters in the world. 

From Paris to Lamardelle - Back to Work

So three weeks in France has got me some rest and better food in-take. I was planning on just sleeping the three weeks away, but as usual, found myself in the mist of a busy schedule again. It was nice though. I got to see my boyfriend Greg, friends, Greg's family, and my host parents. Everyone wanted to know all about our adventures in Haiti and Afghanistan. The three weeks consisted many long talks and shocked faces by our loved ones. I am glad that we get to share our adventures with those who are intrigued by what we do in life. I got so many "Wow that is really hard? Aren't you scared or lonely? That's not a way to live. What about all those diseases?" My response is always a lighthearted laugh and said that I am there for the children and they bring me much joy. Everyone was really surprised and stunned to know that I was heading back to Haiti for another 5 months to finish out my year assignment there. I am super happy and I have missed the children here at the orphanage very much. Yes, life is not easy here, but I get by. The children definitely make every single second and every challenge that comes my way worth it. Whenever I have a stressful day, all I need is a hug and a kiss by a child, and I'm golden. Really.

So I got back to Haiti tonight at around 7pm. It was a very funny feeling. I left Charleville-Meziere at 6am in the morning. Greg and I drove to Reims and then we took a train to the airport. My plane left at around noon time in Paris. 8 hours later I found myself in Guadalupe waiting for my flight to Haiti. After another hour and a half I was grabbing my luggage and meeting up with the orphanage's driver Dieudonne in Port-au-Prince. It all happened so fast and it is just incredible to me how in a day I could be in three places that are so vastly different in way of life and culture. It didn't feel weird to be back in Haiti, it felt natural. It was 34 degrees Celsius when I got out of the airport. My body definitely likes that wayyyy more than the -15 degree weather in Charleville-Meziere, that is for sure. I got into the truck with the driver and looked out the window. I saw people walking in the streets. The familiar smells of burning trash and tires in the dark night. The never stopping yelling of "Hey You" when people see that I am a foreigner in a car. Dieudonne told me how much he has missed me over the vacation time and how happy he is to have me back in Lamardelle. I related the same feelings, as well.

When we got to the orphanage, all the children came rushing toward me yelling "Lori Lori Lori!" I was mobbed by all 35 children. They were all screaming and hugging and kissing. I fell over with my backpack in complete utter happiness! It's this feeling of complete bliss that is just inexplicable to others. I gave each child a hug and kiss. Everyone told me how much they missed me and how happy they were now that I am back. One child wouldn't even let go of me. She walked with me all the way to my room and helped me opened my door to my room. I gave her a goodnight kiss and told her how much I loved her. She smiled really big and said "I love you too Lori." I dropped off my things and quickly went over to help feed all the babies. The babies were so happy to see me too, but not as much as how happy I was to see them. I gave them all kisses and fed them. After saying hi to everyone at the orphanage, I got back to my room. I did my routine check for mice, rats, any living creatures really. I kicked everything in my room and to my huge surprise....NO RATS OR MICE! Wow, what a miracle. The blocking device under my door must have worked! I was sooooo soooo grateful! Oh my goodness, so grateful. Other than my room being extremely dusty and lots of spider webs, no mice or rats! I was super happy! So happy I could have cried!

I took a cold shower in the familiar bathroom that is shared by 10 people and got into bed. I was sooooooo tired. I fell into my "bird-nest" of a bed and tried to sleep. The distant voodoo music slowly crept into my ears. The babies' screaming cries in the background. The angry caregivers yelling in Creole. The burning smell of animal flesh and trash lurking into my room.

I closed my eyes and whispered "I'm back Haiti."